EngRegional
DRC: Tshisekedi running out of options in M23 battle
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi.
After
continuously losing the battles in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) despite employing a huge number of troops, Congolese President Félix
Tshisekedi is running out of options in his effort to defeat the M23 rebels.
The
latest evidence is the loss of the strategic town of Kanyabayonga, about 100
kilometers north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province. The town fell
into the hands of the M23 on June 28. The rebels entered the town late in the
evening after the retreat of the Congolese army and its allies.
Regional
security analysts believe that this should be a wake up call to Tshisekedi, who
should realize that the remaining option is political dialogue, as he was
advised by regional leaders who he ignored.
“This
again proves that Tshisekedi has to understand that the security crisis in his
country can never be solved militarily. Only a political solution will put an
end to this lengthy conflict. He is even lucky that M23 accepts dialogues! The
rebels have, on many occasions, declared that they want Kinshasa to understand
their cause, and recognize their rights like other Congolese nationals. It is
not the same with other rebel groups whose first aim would have been to
overthrow the government,” said one regional analyst who preferred anonymity.
Tshisekedi
invested billions of dollars in purchasing heavy military equipment and
logistics, and paying thousands of eastern European and American mercenaries,
local and foreign militia groups, as well as Burundian troops, to fight M23
collectively.
The
Congolese army and its vast allied coalition with over 40,000 soldiers –almost
five times larger than the rebel group’s personnel estimated at around 8,000–
started heavy attacks against M23 since October 2023. But the rebels keep on advancing,
capturing territory after territory.
The
Congolese government bought war jets and drones for heavy air attacks, yet no
improvement was witnessed on the battlefield. Some of them were either shot
down or crashed at the airport in Goma.
Several
armored vehicles were burnt down, others captured by the rebels.
Even
the so-called intelligence that the UN mission in DRC fed the Congolese army
coalition made the situation worse, as their shelling targeted civilians
instead of M23 rebel bases.
Kinshasa
has done “its best” to fight, but failed to defeat the rebels, so far.
This
recalls the fact that M23’s resurgence in late 2021 was as a result of the poor
management of the problem back in 2013 when a military solution was sought
instead of a political solution.
History
has, on many occasions, proven that conflicts like the one in eastern DRC
cannot be solved militarily. Today, Tshisekedi as well as his predecessor
Joseph Kabila are the best eyewitnesses.
If
Tshisekedi really wishes peace for the Congolese, he will opt for dialogue.
Only genuine political dialogue will solve the conflict that concerns the M23
rebellion.
